SoCS: on my plate

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “on your/my plate.” Use it any way you’d like. 

Anyone who thinks they won’t have anything to do when they retire can’t imagine how busy they will be. I have had a lot on my plate lately and usually do. That would seem like a joke to someone who worked and had kids but it’s true!

There are more Christmas lights to go up and I’m starting to make neck pillows. 30-minute neck pillows they say. Yesterday I cut 2 out. I would have gone for a walk on such a great day but a neighbor was coming over to help me with my new Wii game. She didn’t show up and messaged me (on FB) last night that she would come this morning. Don’t blame her; she has a new baby, a 3 yr old and a husband. They are both serious gamers so I’m sure they have a lot of tricks or hacks. I sent her my text # but she messages me on FB. I don’t have FB in my phone and so have to keep logging on in my laptop to see if she messaged me.

Oh yeah! I got a new Wii Fit for my 70th birthday from my nephew’s family! I have spent so many hours setting up this game and now it won’t read the discs. I watched countess YouTube videos to set it up. Spent most of the day Monday doing that. I had everything except no picture on my screen. Even had the sound. I attended a Zoom workshop on Emotional Intelligence in the afternoon: had my laptop set up on a TV table so I could play with the remotes under the table. In the middle of the presentation I tried ‘source/ AV’ on my tv remote and got the picture! I was trying to remain calm and not get over emotional during the Emotional Intelligence workshop. Good thing I was on mute. But it won’t read the disc.

Tuesday, I went to Strathroy to get a Christmas tree at the SuperStore. I know it’s too early, but they say there is going to be a shortage. I didn’t buy one last year and missed it. It’s part of my seasonal ritual. It’s still in the net in a bucket of water for now. Lucky break; they gave vaccines there without an appointment. I got both flu and the new Covid. one in each arm of course. I put up some Christmas lights the next day and could sure feel it in my arms.

I also went to Staples to talk to a real person to ask some questions about my Wii and to see if they cleaned or sold a cleaner. The guy was so rude. He ignored what I asked and said I could go on to YouTube to find out how to set it up. I said it was already set up and repeated my question. He said it might need cleaning. They don’t clean them or have kits; I can order them on Amazon. He also said I COULD NOT connect this console with the internet. Well, Mr. Smarty Pants; I DID! I thought it was too old for wireless connection but found it and set it up! Got an ‘update’! I was elated! This is it! But, no, it still will not read the disc.

I’ve been stopping myself from trying it again and again. By Thursday my place was a mess. It looked like when I was working letting things pile up for my day off. That’s a great thing about retirement how nice it is to stay ‘caught up’ and not let things get out of hand. Like it did this week.

Last night I got a text that my grandnephew is going to be around today! I hope my neighbor comes early and fixes the Wii. I want to put up some more lights because the good weather ends after today. Then get the hell outta here!

That’s what’s on my plate for today. There is never, ever nothing to do!

No more editing! Neighbour here!!

https://lindaghill.com/2022/11/25/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-26-2022/

 

Haiku prompt: fate, pleased

I once cursed my fate,

not seeing the big picture.

But now I am pleased.

https://ronovanwrites.com/2022/11/21/ronovan-writes-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-437-fate-and-pleased/

SoCS: morning

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “morning.” Use it any way you’d like.

Good morning! The clock above me says 6:30 but that’s because the battery is dead; Its 8:08.

Do you know I went to bed around 3:00 in the morning and woke up before 7:00? Why? How is this possible? First, I think “no! I’m not waking up!” Then I realize how badly I have to pee; I might as well turn the heat up and by the time I get back in bed I’m awake. Wide awake.

However, there is a good chance I got 4 hours of sleep on the couch last night, so I got 8 hours in!

I know by 11:00/11:30 I am going to fall asleep on the couch. I record anything I want to watch. I will sleep through SNL or The Daily Show. My ex used to yell at me “Wake up and go to bed!” but now there is no one to wake me up. Once I lie down, I’m falling asleep. Usually, I wake up on the couch about 1:30 but last night I slept on. Don’t know why; I just like it. I don’t want to go to bed at 11:00. I aim to stay awake for Colbert’s monologue and “Meanwhile . . .” Sometimes I do!

But that’s another wonderful thing about being retired. You don’t have to stress about getting to sleep because you have to get up in the morning to work. Lying awake knowing you have to get up at 6:30 to be on time isn’t nearly as nice as waking up at 6:30 knowing you’ll have a long cozy morning drinking coffee. And sometimes beautiful sunrises!

The clock above still says 6:30 but who cares what time it is? Time to finish off the SoCs prompt and move on to word games and yesterday’s dishes: enjoy a long, leisurely morning.

Yesterday I finally took down the fall decorations above my cupboards. Put them away and got out some winter (not Christmas yet) decorations. Today I’m going to put up a pine bough and star lights up on top of the cupboard and hopefully start a sewing project I have for Christmas.

A winter morning when you don’t have to go anywhere is beautiful and wonderful!

https://lindaghill.com/2022/11/18/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-19-2022/

Haiku: empty, revive

Empty clay vessels

line up in the shed asleep

dreaming of springtime.

*********************************

My first haiku prompt and I didn’t use the second word but the meaning. I’m still working on it! Good challenge! A word puzzle to work on for a week!

https://ronovanwrites.com/2022/11/14/ronovan-writes-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-436-empty-and-revive/

SoCS: celebrate 70!

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with or contains ‘cel.’” Find a word that begins with or contains “cel” and use it in your post any way you’d like. 

Well, that popped in right away: I’m celebrating my 70th birthday on Wednesday. I’m not having a huge celebratory event, but I am celebrating how lucky I am at 70 years old to be living the life I’m living.

#1 thing I do not take for granted is my health. I look after myself with healthy eating and exercise but I’m not pristine. I smoke pot and eat too much sugar which kind of go hand in hand, like cigarettes and alcohol. both of which I gave up decades ago. Alcohol was a problem for me and I’m happy that I’ve never fallen back into it.

However, I have met plenty of people who looked after their health and lost it from no fault of their own. A bad fall can change the course of our lives at this age. Cancer, heart attacks, strokes. . . it can happen to seemingly perfectly healthy people.

Last week, I jumped the gun and changed my title to Monicle’s Chronicles. When I started this 10 years ago, I was sixty, single and surviving. The reason I was merely surviving is I left an abusive marriage which meant also losing my job and home. I started all over again not even knowing who I was anymore. I bought a house with my settlement but had to work to support myself to keep my house and car.

And I fucking did it! I worked in that goddamn grocery store until I turned 65. I kept thinking “I don’t care how little my old age pension is: I am going to live on it and quit this fucking job.” Sorry for the swearing but it conveys how strongly I felt and how much I hated working there. I was counting the days. When I found out that my pension was going to be more than I made at that store, I danced up and down my hallway hooting with joy!

I don’t have enough money to travel and even if I did, I would use it for renovations. But I have enough to live on, I’ve saved up for the propane I’ll need this winter. I put up two dump truck loads of firewood. This makes me happy. I can see if from my bedroom window. It’s immensely satisfying! and WARM!

I love my lifestyle, I love where I live, I love my house. Even though I suffer from bouts of depression and anxiety, I’m generally happy: I have found the tools to deal with it when it comes. Still single but happy with that, too. I don’t want anybody living in my house with me! Although I could use a nice rich boyfriend with his own house. But, hey! You can’t have everything!

An earworm has taken over my stream of consciousness. “Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the music!” But I’m 70, I can’t remember the song or the group. Chicago? I’m not going to look for it.

So, I am now Monicle’s Chronicles. I looked up the definition of chronicles and it generally means something written in order of time. However. starting at this point and writing ahead isn’t going to work. I have a lot of great memories, stories and opinions to share so it will be like those annoying shows “3 months ago” “2 years ago” but more like ” 50 years ago . . . “

Celebrate with me! 70 years old! woot woot!

https://lindaghill.com/2022/11/11/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-12-2022/

New title: monicle’s chronicles

‘Sixty, single and surviving’ is now ‘monicle’s chronicles’.

Lying in bed last night, when I usually ruminate over every little thing, I hit upon the idea to ditch the ’70 with alliteration’ type and hit upon ‘monicle’s chronicles” I like it!

I’ve always worried about the “old lady living alone in the woods” kind of advertising. And how many people think “hey, an old lady! I’d like to read what she has to say!”

No longer in my 60’s as I’m turning 70 next week, still single but good with that, and beyond merely surviving: I’m thriving and loving retirement.

I’m going to keep the same photo because that’s still a good representation of me and easily recognizable.

I usually just do the Stream of Conscious Saturdays (Thank you Linda Hill, lindaghill.com.) but maybe I’ll send out some more thoughts during the week. Maybe. If I feel like it . . .

SoCS: favourite word

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “your favorite word.” Decide on your favorite word and use it in your post any way you’d like.

Favourite word? Good thing you didn’t ask for ‘most commonly used word’ because that would make me look bad but in my own defense: I do live alone, no one can hear me. It’s not like I call them that to their face or say ‘fuck’ out loud in the grocery store.

Favourite word. . . hmm. Favourite stupid word right now is ‘right’ which is expected to be right for too many things. the Right is wrong and Left is right. But the Right thinks the left is wrong and the Right are right. Are the Left right? And look how its spelled, for petes sake! ‘ou’ is old English but ‘gh’ isn’t? But if we wrote ‘rite’ it wouldn’t be right. Hell, why isn’t it favouright? No, you don’t even pronounce it like that! English must be hell to learn.

So my favourite word should be LOVE right now. But that’s an idea behind a word, not just a good word like curmudgeon, or bamboozle, flabbergasted. gobsmacked. chuffed, faff, cannabinoids.

I still spell favourite with a ‘u’ whether there is a wiggly red line under it or not.

I just looked it up in the Miriam Webster dictionary. “Favour: chiefly English spelling of favor.” Hhmmm. Maybe I’m turning into my grandad: a staunch Brit who thought Brits and anything British were the best. However, ‘favor’ just doesn’t look right.

That’s enough rambling: I guess I don’t have a favorite word. See that? No loyalty to a word. I can move on.

Well, all 5 of my faithful readers; I’m turning 70 soon and will be changing my . . . title or whatever you call that thing.

Say goodbye to Sixty and still surviving. I am seventy and well beyond surviving . . . thriving? still smoking? (Cannabis: don’t want anyone to think I smoke cigarettes). This is such a major commitment! My entire identity in a phrase!

https://lindaghill.com/2022/11/04/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-5-2022/